Recording and Listening to the audio track of a TeleNet-Latitude Teleconference

SYSTEM FEATURES

The University of Illinois TeleNet-Latitude teleconferencing system offers the free option of making a recording of any conference. This option must be selected and specified before the conference begins and any callers have entered the conference. This limitation is in compliance with federal and state privacy laws and insures that all persons entering a conference that may be recorded are informed of this fact before entering the event. If the caller enters the conference after receiving notification that the event may be recorded, this is implied consent.

The recording is a full length DIGITAL monaural audio track recorded on the TeleNet file server and Latitude phone box on the Urbana campus. The digital recording may be accessed 15 minutes after the meeting concludes via the telephone or Internet computer hookup. The recording stays on the hard drive FOR 30 DAYS and is accessible 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The same meeting ID and PASSWORD used to enter the original live meeting is used to access the meeting recording. Follow the Telephone or Computer instructions below to listen to the digital recording off the hard drive. Using the computer for recording playback is preferred because there is no long distance telephone bill, and the computer offers ability to pause, and skip around in the recording as needed. Besides, do you really want to hold a telephone to your ear for a couple of hours if you can hear it over your computer speakers?

Analog audio cassette tapes may be made upon request, but will be created by a student employee as time allows. Including mailing time, this could mean a delay of several weeks after a teleconference is held before the tape arrives in the mail. The charge for this service is $20 a tape. A common C-120 audio cassette tape holds two hours of sound, so a three hour teleconference would be two tapes for a total cost of $40. Tapes are ordered online at Pubs-Plus website.

TeleNet hookups for making an analog audio cassette tape recording from audio conferences

PURCHASING A TAPE RECORDER TO MAKE ANALOG AUDIO CASSETTE RECORDINGS

If you want an analog audio cassette tape for portability, tape recorders are still available to perform that task. The key feature to ask for in looking for a tape recorder to make TeleNet recordings is that the machine must have a LINE LEVEL input, and AUTO REVERSE on record. This usually means a stereo tape deck that was designed to be a component for a home theater system. Expect a price between $150-200. The machine needs to have CONTINUOUS RECORD so it will automatically switch to the B side of the tape when making a recording of 2 hours on a C-120 tape. If it does not have this feature, then somebody has to sit there and listen to change the tape at the one hour point.

The only other thing needed is an appropriate patch cord, and a Y adapter fitting to feed the same monaural audio into both sides of the stereo tape recorder. These should be less than $5. It may also be helpful to have a small inexpensive headset to plug into the front of the tape recorder to monitor recordings in progress, or listen to playback to be sure the recording is acceptable quality. You do not need high quality studio headphones...something in the range of $10-20 will be OK.

The older Radio Shack catalog listed two analog recorders that will work: stock #14-1404, 14-1402. These have been discontinued, but any local RS store can locate leftover stock on their computer. Circuit City and Best Buy offer similar machines such as the Sony TCWE475, Onkyo TARW244, and Pioneer CT-W208R. Mention of store names or brand names does not imply endorsement; omission does not imply criticism.

Analog Audio Cassette Tape Recordings can be made from Telephone or Computer

1. BY TELEPHONE:

A Polycom teleconference telephone can be used to record the program. The Polycom has a small RCA jack on side of the power supply module that plugs into the wall. The required patch cord would have a two-conductor RCA plug on one end, and appropriate fitting to connect to the recorder on the other end, usually either RCA or Mini Plug.

· A major advantage is: you can dial up the program live, and record a conference while it is going on by following the normal process of access to the event.

There are several disadvantages of this system:

· There will be a lot of noise in the room from the Polycom phone speaker, and the microphone must be muted to avoid picking up more room noise.

· A recording cannot be fast forwarded to eliminate the check-in chatter at the beginning of a conference

· You are running up a long distance phone bill on the telephone.

2. BY COMPUTER:

A computer with a sound card and external speakers can be used to make a recording after the conclusion of the meeting. The computer is used to access the sound file and any visual attachments made to the meeting. This can be done anytime after 15 minutes of the conclusion of the meeting, to 30 days max. There are two sound files, one is compressed and encoded in software called REAL PLAYER. The other is an uncompressed WAV audio file. The uncompressed WAV audio file will sound better.

· Download the file and save to local computer hard drive. (Depending on connection speed, this may take a while.)

· Connect the tape recorder via patch cord to the back of the computer sound output card, or back of the speakers on the external second speaker jack. On many computers, this jack is the color green. The patch cord needed will usually be a 3.5mm mini plug for the computer, or RCA plug for speaker. The other end will plug into the tape recorder with the appropriate connector for that tape recorder. A Y fitting may be needed to have audio on both channels of the stereo tape recorder.

There are several advantages to using the computer hard drive as your source:

1. After downloading the recording, it can be saved on the local hard drive, or transferred to other digital audio media such as CD, or MP3. You can save it permanently until the hard drive fills up.

2. The recording can be easily manipulated on the computer....eliminate check-in chatter at the start of the meeting, or skip around in the digital recording file to find information of interest.

3. The uncompressed digital WAV file offers greater fidelity and bandwidth than a telephone line.

4. No long distance telephone charges are incurred.

5. Noise in the room can be reduced while making the recording by unplugging the speaker.

JLH Revised 7/28/03